A folio is an official document relating to a holding of registered land which contains a brief description of the property, together with details of its ownership and any other matters which affect it such as rights of way, mortgages etc.
Prior to computerisation, folios were paper documents. The paper folios were scanned to create the electronic images which are stored in Landweb direct, and they now comprise:
- a page which gives details of the issue of the Land Certificate
- a summary page giving details of the folio number etc
- a scanned image of all the entries on the paper Folio
- continuation sheets containing details of any entries which have been registered electronically since the paper Folio was scanned. The continuation sheets are divided into three parts
- Part 1 contains a description of the land in the Folio and a reference to the lease under which it is held, if applicable. It may also contain references to appurtenant rights and transfers of part.
- Part 11 contains particulars of the owner of the land, class of title etc.
- Part 111 contains particulars of burdens, charges etc.
The continuation sheets are an integral part of the computerised folio and will therefore form part of the folio even if no new entries have been registered.
Note: It is important to read the Folio in its entirety, and not just rely on information in the continuation sheets, as the scanned images are likely to include substantive entries.
Folios that were created after the scanning exercise had taken place comprise:
- A page which gives details of the issue of the Land Certificate
- Continuation sheets dividing the folio into three parts as described above.
Pending applications
Pending applications are applications which have been lodged for registration, but the registration has not yet been completed. Where there is an application pending, this will be indicated in the ‘Summary’ section of the View folio screen.
Paper images
In the case of folios created prior to computerisation, Landweb Direct offers a scanned image of the original paper document.
The scanned image forms an integral part of the folio, and can be accessed (without additional charge) from the View folio screen.
Land Certificates
A folio contains the relevant registrations relating to a piece of land and the Land Certificate is a copy of that folio, which shows the registrations in existence at the time when the Land Certificate was issued, or last reissued, by the Land Registry. It is important to remember that the information contained in a Land Certificate may be incomplete as some matters which affect the interest of the registered owner can be registered on a folio without any requirement for the production of the Land Certificate.
Following the introduction of Dematerialisation legislation it is no longer a requirement to lodge a Land Certificate as part of registration documentation, except where the application relates to the registration of a Notice of Deposit.
Schedule folios
A schedule folio is a type of folio, used principally by local authorities, government departments and NIHE which includes all the land owned by the body in question in any one county.
Over the years, most of the schedule folios have become very cumbersome. They are awkward to work with and difficult to inspect. For this reason, schedule folios are not available for viewing over the internet. Instead, they can be viewed at LPS Public Counters, with assistance from LPS staff if necessary.
Rule 6 of the Land Registration Rules (NI) 1994 made the following provision for schedule folios:
6. Any folio maintained in the form known as a Schedule Folio and existing at the commencement of these Rules may be continued in that form save that no further land shall be added therein. A Schedule Folio shall not be opened after the commencement of these Rules.